Fabrication of Boron Nitride Nanosheets by Exfoliation

Nanomaterials with layered structures, with their intriguing properties, are of great research interest nowadays. As one of the primary two‐dimensional nanomaterials, the hexagonal boron nitride nanosheet (BNNS, also called white graphene), which is an analogue of graphene, possesses various attractive properties, such as high intrinsic thermal conductivity, excellent chemical and thermal stability, and electrical insulation properties. After being discovered, it has been one of the most intensively studied two‐dimensional non‐carbon nanomaterials and has been applied in a wide range of applications. To support the exploration of applications of BNNSs, exfoliation, as one of the most promising approaches to realize large‐scale production of BNNSs, has been intensively investigated. In this review, methods to yield BNNSs by exfoliation will be summarized and compared with other potential fabrication methods of BNNSs. In addition, the future prospects of the exfoliation of h‐BN will also be discussed.     

Metal-free and selective cleavage of unstrained carbon–carbon single bonds: Synthesis of β-ketosulfones from β-chlorohydrins and sodium sulfinates

A metal-free protocol for the selective cleavage of unstrained C–C single bonds was developed. Under the catalysis of KI and in the presence of NaHCO₃, the readily available α-chloro-β-hydroxy ketones underwent bond breaking and sulfonylation smoothly to afford β-ketosulfones with high efficiency and broad substrate scope. Mechanism investigations, both experimental and theoretical, showed that a retro-aldol cleavage/nucleophilic substitution sequence might be involved.     

Preparation of Polylactide/Poly(ether)urethane Blends with Excellent Electro-actuated Shape Memory <Emphasis Type="Italic">via</Emphasis> Incorporating Carbon Black and Carbon Nanotubes Hybrids Fillers

In this work, hybrid conductive fillers of carbon black (CB) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were introduced into polylactide (PLA)/thermoplastic poly(ether)urethane (TPU) blend (70/30 by weight) to tune the phase morphology and realize rapid electrically actuated shape memory effect (SME). Particularly, the dispersion of conductive fillers, the phase morphology, the electrical conductivities and the shape memory properties of the composites containing CB or CB/CNTs were comparatively investigated. The results suggested that both CB and CNTs were selectively localized in TPU phase, and induced the morphological change from the sea-island structure to the co-continuous structure. The presence of CNTs resulted in a denser CB/CNTs network, which enhanced the continuity of TPU phase. Because the formed continuous TPU phase provided stronger recovery driving force, the PLA/TPU/CB/CNTs composites showed better shape recovery properties compared with the PLA/TPU/CB composites at the same CB content. Moreover, the CB and CNTs exerted a synergistic effect on enhancing the electrical conductivities of the composites. As a result, the prepared composites exhibited excellent electrically actuated SME and the shape recovery speed was also greatly enhanced. This work demonstrated a promising strategy to achieve rapid electrically actuated SME via the addition of hybrid nanoparticles with self-networking ability in binary PLA/TPU blends over a much larger composition range.     

Supersaturation controlled growth of MAFAPbI<Subscript>3</Subscript> perovskite film for high efficiency solar cells

Controlling the nucleation and growth of organic-inorganic hybrids perovskite is of key importance to improve the morphology and crystallinity of perovskite films. However, the growth mechanism of perovskite films based on classical crystallization theory is not fully understood. Here, we develop a supersaturation controlled strategy (SCS) to balance the nucleation and crystal growth speeds. By this strategy, we are able to find an ideal supersaturation region to realize a balance of nucleation and crystal growth, which yields highly crystallized perovskite films with micrometer-scale grains. Besides, we provide a thoughtful analysis of nucleation and growth based on the fabrication of the perovskite films. As a result, the highest photovoltaic power conversion efficiencies (PCE) of 19.70% and 20.31% are obtained for the planar and the meso-superstructured devices, respectively. This strategy sheds some light for understanding the film growth mechanism of high quality perovskite film, and it provides a facile strategy to fabricate high efficiency perovskite solar cells.     

p-TSA-catalyzed one-pot synthesis of novel 7-aryl-6H-benzo[h][1,3]dioxolo[4,5-b]xanthene-5,6(7H)-diones in ethanol

A one-pot, three-component reaction of aromatic aldehydes, 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, and 3,4-methylenedioxyphenol has been reported for the synthesis of novel 7-aryl-6H-benzo[h][1,3]dioxolo[4,5-b]xanthene-5,6(7H)-diones using environmentally benevolent para-toluene sulfonic acid (p-TSA) as the catalyst. This methodology provides a mild and fast route to diverse pyran derivatives in moderate to good yields.     

Effect of temperature on the organized self-assembly of SDS/β-Cyclodextrin aqueous solution by dielectric relaxation behavior

The temperature dependence of microstructures of SDS/β-cyclodextrin aqueous solution was investigated by impedance analyzer at the temperature range of 15°C to 55°C. The dielectric relaxation behaviors were observed from 15°C to 35°C, which was attributed to the Maxwell-Wagner interfacial polarization. The microstructure transition of the SDS/β-cyclodextrin aqueous solution from micro-tube to vesicle and then to monomer with increasing temperature was confirmed by conjointly analyzing dielectric parameters, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and infrared spectra. Furthermore, the dielectric analysis was proved to be useful to study surfactant-based organized self-assembly.     

Metal/oxide interfacial reactions: Oxidation of metals on SrTiO3 (100) and TiO2 (110)

We studied chemical reactions between ultrathin metal films (Al, Cr, Fe, Mo) and single-crystal oxides (SrTiO3 (100), TiO2 (110)) with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The work function of the metal and the electron density in the oxide strongly influence the reaction onset temperature (T(RO)), where metal oxidation is first observed, and the rate of metal oxidation at the metal/oxide interfaces. The Fermi levels of the two contacting phases affect both the space charges formed at the interfaces and the diffusion of ionic defects across the interfaces. These processes, which determine metal oxidation kinetics at relatively low temperatures, can be understood in the framework of the Cabrera-Mott theory. The results suggest that the interfacial reactivity is tunable by modifying the Fermi level (E(F)) of both contacting phases. This effect is of great technological importance for a variety of devices with heterophase boundaries.     

Adsorption and reactions of ClCH2CH2OH on clean and oxygen-precovered Cu(100): experimental and computational studies

Temperature-programmed reaction/desorption, reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations have been employed to investigate the adsorption and thermal reactions of ClCH2CH2OH on clean and oxygen-precovered Cu(100) surfaces. On Cu(100), ClCH2CH2OH is mainly adsorbed reversibly. The ClCH2CH2OH molecules at a submonolayer coverage can change their orientation with increasing temperature. However, on oxygen-precovered Cu(100), all of the adsorbed ClCH2CH2OH molecules below 0.5 langmuir exposures completely dissociate to generate ethylene and acetaldehyde via the intermediate of ClCH2CH2O-. The computational studies predict that the ClCH2CH2O- is most likely to be adsorbed at the 4-fold hollow sites of Cu(100), with its C-O bond only slightly titled away from the surface normal and with a gauche conformation with respect to the C-C bond. The hollow-site ClCH2CH2O- has an adsorption energy that is 4.4 and 19.2 kcal x mol(-1) lower than that of the ClCH2CH2O- bonded at the bridging and atop sites, respectively. No significant effect of precovered oxygen on the ClCH2CH2O- bonding geometry and infrared band frequencies has been observed, as compared with the case without oxygen.     

Structures and properties of metal-free and magnesium tetrathieno[2,3-b]porphyrazine investigated using density functional theory

Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculation were adopted to study the structures and properties of metal-free and magnesium tetrathieno[2,3-b]porphyrazine (TTPPzH₂ and TTPPzMg) using B3LYP method with the 6–31G(d) basis set. A comparison of the geometrical structures, atomic charges, molecular orbitals, UV-vis spectra and infrared (IR) spectra among tetrathieno[2,3-b]porphyrazine (TTPPzH₂), phthalocyanine (H₂Pc) and porphyrazine (H₂Pz) compounds was performed. The substituent effect of the thiophene heterocycle for electron-donating on the structures and properties of these compounds has been discussed. Compared with other atoms, the charge distribution of C_β atoms adjacent to the sulfur atom is significantly influenced by the thiophene heterocycle substituents. The enlargement of the HOMO-LUMO gaps from H₂Pc and MgPc to TTPPzH₂ and TTPPzMg is at the origin of the observed blue shift of the Q band when moving from H₂Pc to TTPPzH₂ compounds. Special emphasis has been devoted to the strongest B bands for TTPPzH₂ compounds which show red shift due to the large destabilization of the lower lying occupied orbitals compared with the corresponding B bands of H₂Pc compounds. With the assistance of animated pictures produced on the basis of the normal coordinates, the significant peaks and vibration modes in the IR spectra of all the compounds were assigned and analyzed.     

Antibacterial Constituents from Isodon Excisoides

Two new ent‐kaurane diterpenoids, taihangexcisoidesin C (1) and its acetonide, taihangexcisoidesin D (2), along with 9 known compounds were isolated from the leaves of Isodon excisoides. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy analysis. Compounds 3‐6 and 8‐9 were tested for their antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and S. saprophyticus. Compound 6 showed inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and S. saprophyticus MIC values 32, 16 and 16 μg/mL, respectively. All of the compounds didn't show effects on Escherichia coli (MIC > 10 mg/mL).